Image caption
Pope Benedict's successor will be chosen by 117 cardinals during a secret election in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel

The Vatican is considering calls from cardinals to hold a papal conclave earlier than planned, after Pope Benedict XVI steps down on 28 February.

Church officials want a successor to be in place before the start of Holy Week on 24 March - the most important event in the Christian calendar.

Under current rules, the vote cannot be held before 15 March, to give cardinals enough time to travel to Rome.

The Vatican is now examining the possibility of changing the rule.

According to the Holy See's constitution, a 15-20 day waiting period must be observed after the papacy becomes vacant.

The rule is in place to allow "all those [cardinals] who are absent'' sufficient time to make the journey to Rome, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said.

But the prospect of bringing forward the date had been raised by a number of cardinals, he added.

And given that they already knew when Pope Benedict was stepping down, they would have plenty of time to plan their trip.

"It is possible that church authorities can prepare a proposal to be taken up by the cardinals on the first day after the papal vacancy," Father Lombardi said.

The rules on papal succession were open to interpretation and "this is a question that people are discussing", he said.

Careful examination

Officials in charge want to ensure that Pope Benedict's successor is installed well in time for the liturgical celebrations at Easter, the most important date in the church's calendar, the BBC's David Willey reports form Rome.

As there is no precedent in modern times for the resignation of a pope, ecclesiastical lawyers are having to re-examine very carefully the rules for papal elections laid down in past centuries and updated most recently by Pope Benedict himself, our correspondent explains.